72 International Journal of Orthodox Theology 11:2 (2020) urn:nbn:de:0276-2020-2046 Archim. Nathanael Neacșu Theology in the spiritual experience and thought of St. Sophrony (Sakharov) the Athonite Abstract This study considers the spiritual elements of St. Sophrony the Athonite’s thought on theology as a mode and way of life engaged in personal relationship with God and with fellow humans. His theo- logical understanding and experi- ence are a valuable source for contemporary theologians and Archim. Prof. Dr. Nathanael the faithful generally. His ap- Neacșu, Assoc. Prof. of Dog- matic Theology at the Ortho- proach puts both a full and vivid dox Theological Faculty “Du- way of living in relation with God, mitru Stăniloae”of Iassy, fellowmen and creation. Romania Theology in the spiritual experience and thought of St. Sophrony 73 (Sakharov) the Athonite Keywords Theology, spirituality, discernment, experience, study 1 Introduction In the West, after the Renaissance, the Reformation and the philosophical currents incorporating realism and idealism1 to varying degrees, Christianity drew on historical and philological developments in order to respond theologically to the various challenges of the time. The Christian sources - Holy Scripture, the Writings of the Holy Fathers, the Decisions of the Ecumeni- cal Synods, etc. - have been approached through scientific re- search methods and have been analyzed systematically. In this process, theology acquired a scientific function and would be used in an ecclesiastical setting whenever needed2. After a few centuries, in the East, theology also acquired from the West more and more scientific functions and reflexes, and many of the same methodological approaches to revelation and the understanding of the sources of faith were assumed for similar purposes. As we shall note during this study, the Chris- tian Church in the East is still, after several centuries, facing this challenge in theology. There is any connection between spiritu- al-experimental and scientific aspect of theology. The balance between the two realities has not been found yet. 1 These philosophies tried to establish whether in a theory of know- ledge and ontology the prime term is: to be (εῖναι) or to know / have consciousness (συνειδέναι). Νίκου Α. Ματσούκα, Δογματική καὶ Συμβολικἠ Θεολογία. Εἰσαγωγή στή θεολογική γνωσιολογία, (Θεσσαλονίκη: Πουρναρά, 2000), pp.14-15. 2 Idem, pp. 100-101. 74 Archim. Nathanael Neacșu There have appeared in the last century numerous works of theology, abundance which can be seen in itself as a theological phenomenon.3 Both in the West and in the East, the need has been felt to solve the social, political, philosophical and even theological problems that produced this phenomenon. There has also been a tendency to establish, from a theological per- spective, certain historical, socio-cultural and even political models, which has led to the limitation and reduction of the theological perspective of these works to a strictly human level. Secularised conceptions of theology have been formulated and have proliferated with a tendency to reduce theology to a hu- man creation.4 This tendency undoubtedly shows a loss of the true meaning of theology. Of course, to some extent, theology relates to any process concerning the human being, but, as St. Sophrony puts it, the contemporary movement in theology “goes beyond any reasonable limits”.5 Thus we see a theology of beauty, sex, revolution etc6. These realities indicate the desire to give the world an absolute value that comes from the need of man to find and imagine himself in an authentic theological plan. As for the understanding of theology within the Eastern Church, there is, as we have already pointed out, especially lately, a dif- ferentiation between a ‘spiritual’ theology and an ‘intellectual’ or ‘scientific’ theology. There is talk of an existential, empirical 3 A simple search on the internet, through the Google search engine, of works with the word theology in their title gave us the opportunity to access over two million such works! 4 Sophrony Sakharov, Striving for knowledge of God. Corespendence with David Balfour, (Essex:Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist), 2016, p. 319. 5 Sophrony Sakharov, Striving for knowledge of God. 6 Ibidem. Theology in the spiritual experience and thought of St. Sophrony 75 (Sakharov) the Athonite theology and another which is academic.7 And to some extent, it is necessary to draw a distinction between the two.8 However, such a division is not specific to the Eastern Orthodox ethos. In patristic tradition and in the life of the Church through centuries, theology has meant living, participating and contem- plating the mystery of God in the Holy Trinity. Theology was associated with an essential act of participation in the mysteries of God. If necessary, this experience of the Fathers of the Church was presented in writing for the edification of God's righteous faithful.9 The writings of the Fathers about theology or teaching about God could never be called writings of ‘scientific’ or ‘intel- lectual’ theology, even though some works, such as those of St. John of Damascus, were presented in the form of an argument and systematically, with references to the Fathers of the Church before him.10 These writings, which revealed both the mysteries of God in Himself, but also of God incarnated and presented historically as Man - Jesus Christ - became landmarks for the spiritual un- derstanding and edification of the whole Church. Theology as an experiential process has defined the Church for many centu- ries. Theology presupposed the personal experience of God, life 7 See, Νίκου Α. Ματσούκα, Δογματική καὶ Συμβολικἠ Θεολογία, p. 100- 106 & Ierotheos Vlahos, Dogmatica empirică, (Iași: Doxologia, 2015). 8 “Speaking of the Cappadocians fathers, A. Louth summarizes: «theolo- gia… means not just the doctrine of the Trinity, but contemplation of the Trinity»”. Nicholas Sakharov, I love, therefore I am, (NewYork: St. Vladimir᾽s Seminary Press Crestwood, 2002), p. 56. // See G. W. Lam- pe, A patristic greek lexicon, (Oxford, 1961), p. 627. 9 St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Maximus the Confessor, St. Simeon the New Theologian and other Saints of the Church present in their works the foundations and realities of the theology that they themselves lived. These expositions were conceived and arranged in theological heads or speeches. 10 Νίκου Α. Ματσούκα, Δογματική καὶ Συμβολικἠ Θεολογία, p. 103. 76 Archim. Nathanael Neacșu in the Holy Spirit in the community of the Church and, as the case may be, knowledge about the nature of man and the world, knowledge of philosophy and natural sciences and the charisma of those writings, etc. All this defined the theology of the Church. For almost two centuries, out of apologetic, missionary and pastoral needs, such as the need to educate the future ministers of the Church, the Church has taken from the West a model of a scientific theology that can be practised and carried out in insti- tutions called schools of theology. In a new theological and ec- clesial situation the Church felt the need to define and adapt itself correctly to this reality. Therefore, as could be expected, academic theology is still seeking its place in the Church, in particular in its relationship to the traditional understanding of theology as living the mysteries of the faith. We are touching on a wide and very complex debate. In this debate, the appeal to contemporary spiritual Fathers who spoke about these issues can be especially helpful. In this paper we attempt to capture the thinking of St. Sophrony Sakh- arov, one of the most remarkable spiritual and theological per- sonalities of the twentieth century. The paper has three main focuses. The first is a presentation of theology in its revealed and experimental depth. The next part of the study deals with the place of academic theology in rela- tion to a more holistic view of theology and to the Church in general. The last part seeks to tackle the spiritual aspects im- plicit in theology. Theology in the spiritual experience and thought of St. Sophrony 77 (Sakharov) the Athonite 2 Theology - revelation and personal relationship of man with God For St. Sophrony, theology can be located in two planes: one broad (the desk of the scholar) and the other which presuppos- es being crucified with Christ (1 Peter 4:13; Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:11-12) and to find Him in the hiding places of the heart. The first location is accessible to many who are intellectually gifted, and the second type is a theology of confession, born of deep fear of God, which introduces one to the divine reality of the uncreated Light.11 In its second dimension theology is an experiantial reality re- lated to the existence of man.12 It follows that the human being has a need to participate in the divine reality, to be a theological being, to feel and talk about God, to be in touch with Him. The- ology as an experience of the mystery of God, of salvation and the economy of grace, of the eternal counsel which was fulfilled in Christ, presupposes, as St. Paul tells us, a real revelation in the Holy Spirit.13 For this reason St. Symeon the New Theologi- 11 Sophrony Sakharov, On Prayer, (Essex: Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist, 2016), p. 63-64. 12 The theological existence of man comes from the fact that the Archety- pe of the man the God-Word is, as St. Gregory Palamas says, Θεός and Θεολόγος. Therefore, strictly speaking, theology in its full sense was realised by the Saviour Jesus Christ as Θεός and Θεολόγος. The Theo- logy of God the Word (Theo-Logos) is the absolute landmark to which we must relate. Grigorie Palama, Cuvinte doveditoare despre purce- derea Duhului Sfânt, (Bucureşti: Patristică, 2005), p.